123,291 dengue cases logged this year

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 123,291 dengue cases have been reported nationwide since January, according to the Department of Health.

The DOH said a majority of the patients are children aged five years to nine years, accounting for 27,358 of the total number of cases.

The health department said an increase in the number of cases has been noted in recent weeks.

Health officials said 6,720 dengue cases were reported from May 11 to 24, registering an increase of six percent compared to the 6,192 infections recorded from April 27 to May 10.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the uptick in dengue cases is expected as the rainy season has started.

“We usually see an increase during the rainy season. We have to prevent this by intensifying vector control,” Herbosa said.

He urged the public to take part in the fight against dengue by conducting cleanup activities every 4 p.m.

The 4 p.m. activity includes the practice of taob or flipping, taktak or shaking, tuyo or drying and takip or covering all potential mosquito breeding sites.

“We must continue what we have started in our dengue prevention efforts. We must do these in our homes, barangays and in schools,” Herbosa said.